Fire and Ice
by Unicron73
Summary: The Beast Wars takes a turn for the worse as the immortal Starscream returns with a plan to threaten both the Maximals and the Predacons!


Fire and Ice:

A Beast Wars Fan Fiction

Author's Note: This story takes place before the first season episode "Spiders' Game".

It drifted through space and time, although both had become relatively meaningless concepts to it over the millennia. Or maybe it wasn't millennia, but only seconds it had drifted through the cold void, deprived of programming, of meaning, of _life_. Whichever it was, millennia or microsecond, it retained enough of its former personality to know that something was at hand. The part of it that still had access to its former memories remembered something, or had remembered, or would remember again. For the first time in an eon, or maybe just an eye blink, it had a plan. It shifted itself through the vortex that was space-time, and eventually arrived at its destination. There, drifting lazily below it against the black velvet of space was the blue-white orb its former master had attempted to conquer. Earth. It scanned the surface below and just like that, the rest of its plan came into focus. It hung there for a moment, contemplating both its destiny and its past, and then the spark that was once called Starscream shifted its energies and began its descent to the planet below.

-----

The sun rose high over the Maximal base. It had settled across the ravine between two cliffs on its descent to the planet and there it had stayed, unable to move, yet certainly not powerless to defend itself. There were force fields around the base, and gun turrets along its perimeter, but that wasn't enough for Optimus Primal. Not by a long shot. He stood on the outermost edge of the perimeter, scanning the horizon for activity. There hadn't been Predacon activity in this sector for over a week, and that disturbed him. Disturbed him more than an entire flotilla of Predacon warships ever could.

From behind him came the sound of the force field disengaging and the approach of heavy footsteps. He didn't even need to turn around to see who was behind him. He had come to know his second-in-command so well he could pick Rhinox out of a pack of wild terrakaks.

"Is it finished?" he asked, adjusting his optics to scan in infrared.

"As finished as it will ever be," Rhinox growled. "For all the good it will do us, Optimus. With all the spare parts I've had to salvage, I'll be surprised if the damn thing works at all."

"It'll work, my friend," Primal said, finishing his scan. You've just got to have faith."

Rhinox snorted, and turned towards the dusty landscape. "Pretty quiet today, isn't it? We haven't heard from the Preds in awhile. I wonder what ol' Megatron is up to?"

"So do I," Primal said. "You can believe that whatever it is, it's not good." He turned and clapped Rhinox on one armored shoulder. "Let's go back inside. I'm curious to see the project."

Rhinox snorted again, and the two of them stomped back up the ramp and into the base.

-----

"How many times have I told you," Megatron sneered, his optics gleaming like fire, "that this is not a democracy!"

"I'm sorry, Megatron," Scorponok said, his clawed hands held up in supplication. "I just thought..."

"You thought?" Megatron growled. He reached out and grabbed Scorponok between the edges of his left hands' serrated teeth. "I don't pay you to think! I pay you to act. And you've failed miserably, on both counts!" The servomotors in his claw arm flexed, and there was a loud cracking sound as Scorponok's optics shattered. He struggled, briefly, against the iron grip, and then Megatron heaved and threw him heavily against the far wall.

"That was a warning. Next time I won't be quite so generous." He turned to the spider hanging suspended in the corner. "Tarantulas, take him away and make sure he gets repaired."

"Of course, Megatron," Tarantulas said, spinning down from his metallic web. He shot a grappling hook from a launcher underneath his armored thorax, and with the ease of a practiced hunter, dragged Scorponok's broken body down one of the side tunnels leading to his inner lab and out of sight.

-----

_Wake up, warrior._

Scorponok turned his head, the lenses of his new optics adjusting to the darkness of the lab. He knew where he was and that frightened him. He'd never been comfortable around the arachnids, Tarantulas in particular. Black Arachnia he could understand; at least she was a soldier with a warrior's code of honor. But Tarantulas was different. He'd known there was something off about the spider, something _shifty_, from the moment he'd first laid optics on him. And for the life of his internal processor, he didn't know why Megatron had assigned him to this mission. Maybe Scorponok was just being paranoid, but if they weren't careful they could all wind up as slag in one of Tarantulas' infernal devices.

_Well, warrior, I'm speaking to you._

"Who's there?" Scorponok said, scanning the room. That damned arachnid was nowhere to be seen. The only things in the room beside himself were Tarantulas' consoles and monitors.

_Why do you let Megatron boss you around?_ The voice seemed to be coming from nowhere and everywhere, all at once. One minute it was speaking behind Scorponok, the next it seemed to be coming from his own auditory processors. _Why don't you stand up and take the mantle of leadership for yourself?_

"Where are you talking from?" Scorponok said, sliding off the table. His scanners were working overtime trying to identify the source of the sounds. "Who are you?"

_A friend,"_ the voice said, this time from inside Scorponok's own memory core. _Someone who can help._ Scorponok went to speak again, to ask another question when all of a sudden his vocal processor froze and every chip inside his central unit went deathly black.

-----

"So this is the, a, new gizmo that ol' ironhides' cooked up?" Rattrap said, rapping his knuckles against its metallic shell. "No offense, boss monkey but you, a, mind tellin' us what it does?"

"Don't touch it," Cheetor warned, stepping between Rattrap and Rhinoxs' device. "You know it just makes him irritated when you do that."

"It's an Energon cannon," Rhinox said, ignoring both of the younger robots. "And hopefully we'll never have to use it."

"An Energon cannon," Cheetor whistled, taking it in. The barrel was approximately three feet long with a bore of about twenty inches. An energy monitor was mounted behind it, along with what appeared to be a set of scanners, both thermal and x-ray, and a GPS tracking unit.

"So this baby fires Energon?" Rattrap said.

"A pure beam," Rhinox nodded. "One blast from this cannon and instant stasis lock."

Rattrap sidled up next to it, rubbing his hands together. "So, uh, when do we get to test this baby out?" he asked, grinning.

"_We_ don't," Primal said, putting a hand on the cannon and leaning over Rattrap. "This is strictly a last line of defense, in case the Predacons' overwhelm the bases' defenses."

"That is a mistake," Dinobot growled. He'd been standing with his arms folded against the back wall, watching the proceedings with a warrior's precision. Now he stepped forward and pointed a taloned finger at Primal. "A warrior uses everything at their disposal to win. We should attack them now, when they least expect it."

"For once, I agree with ol' chopper face," Rattrap said, nodding in Dinobot's direction. "The Preds wouldn't hesitate to slag us if they had the chance."

"We're not Predacons," Primal said, taking in all three of his junior officers. "And I say we wait."

"Optimus is right," Rhinox said. "Besides, we don't even know if this cannon will work. If the Energon becomes too unstable, it could destroy the entire matrix, and take all of us with it."

"For now this is our little secret," Primal said. "Rhinox will keep working on the cannon. The rest of us have our duties to attend to."

-----

"Ah, Scorponok, there you are," Megatron said. He was standing on the cliff overlooking the lava valley outside the base. Waspinator and Terrosaur were out on patrol, and he had no idea what the spiders were up to. "I take it you've learned your lesson?"

"It was a lesson well learned, o mighty Megatron," Scorponok said.

Megatron turned, his optic sensors glowing a fierce ruby. "Is there something wrong with your vocal processors, Scorponok? You sound...different."

"What you're hearing, Megatron, is the sound of your own demise!" Scorponok raised both clawed hands, and before Megatron's sensors could register it, four of Scorponok's concussion missiles struck him dead in the face. He stumbled back in surprise, his field of vision reduced to a static-filled blur. A large chunk of the cliff's edge gave way beneath his feet, and before he could do anything about it, his weight had carried him over and his crashed head first on the rocky scree below. A large layer of the cliff face went with him, and within the space of three seconds, his lower extremities and most of his upper torso were pinned beneath twelve tons of solid rock. Scorponok hurtled himself off the cliff, landing on a flat piece of rock that had settled over Megatron's chest plate.

"And you call yourself a leader," he said, wrapping one clawed hand around Megatron's sparking face.

"You'll pay... for this treachery...Scorponok," Megatron sputtered. Already he could feel his processors shutting down, as power was re-routed from his auxiliary cells to his primary systems.

"No, Megatron, you're the one who'll pay," Scorponok growled. He tightened his grip on Megatron's head, and as motors and trans-steel cracked in anguish, he raised his other hand and sent it crashing down into Megatron's faceplate. There was a resounding crunch as the steel framework around Megatron's central memory unit shattered, and then Scorponok let go and took off, leaving the twisted wreck of his former leader behind as he flew northwest towards the distant mountains.

-----

The sky above was blue and cloudless. A flock of eagles circled high overhead, lazily taking in the landscape below. Something flashed bright off the cliffs to their right, but the eagles didn't seem to notice. All of them continued their lazy flight northward, except for one. That one circled back, towards the cliff, the sensors in her wingtips already scanning for the source of the commotion.

"Airazor to Optimus," she signaled, circling over the crash site. "I think something's going down at the Predacon base."

"_Optimus here_," the voice came back. "_What do you see_?"

Her sensors zoomed in, bringing the scene below into focus. "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle," she muttered, taking in the carnage below her.

"_Say again, Airazor_?" Primal called.

"You won't believe this, Optimus, but it looks like Scorponok just took out Megatron."

There was a slight pause, and then Optimus came back on. "_Where's Scorponok now_?" he asked.

"He's heading for the mountains," she called, making sure to target his trail. "And he looks like he's in one hell of a hurry. Should I follow him?"

"_Affirmative_," Primal answered. "_Whatever's lit a fire underneath his afterburners, I want to know about it_."

"You got it," she answered. She let out a loud squawk, and then circled around and followed the trail into the mountains.

-----

The tunnels were deep but the body Starscream now inhabited was more than up for the challenge.

He pressed its motors to the limits, the giant claws which served as Scorponok's hands removing pile after pile of rock. He was almost there. He could feel it. Soon his plan would come to fruition. Soon he would have a new body with which to conquer.

A crack appeared in the rock face before him. Starscream wedged Scorponok's massive claws into the fissure he'd created, and pushed. Giant chunks of rock rained down from the ceiling; wild tangles of fissures ran out across the floor of the cavern and still he pushed. Starscream lunged, pushing Scorponok's massive mechanical joints to the limits. Piles and piles of debris cascaded from the ceiling, and just when he thought he'd pushed Scorponok's body to the breaking point; just when he thought every servomotor, every gear and piston would simply collapse under the strain, the wall before him emitted a loud thud and shattered into a thousand broken pieces.

Dust sifted down in sheets. Starscream adjusted Scorponok's optics to the grayish gloom, immediately scanning the cavern beyond. _This must be it, _he thought, stepping over the detritus. _My calculations are precise. This HAS to be the place._

Maybe this wasn't the place. It had been a long time after all, and there were probably hundreds, maybe even thousands, of caves on this forsaken world that looked just like this one. Perhaps his calculations had been in error. Perhaps...

Something glinted along the back wall. Starscream walked over to it. A triangular shaft of metal extruded from the rock wall, solid white with just the merest hint of crimson. Starscream stared at it, and smiled. This was the place, undisturbed and still intact. The place where his destiny would rise again.

"You are still here, my old friend," Starscream said, running his hand along the wall. "As I hoped you would be. Soon, very soon, I shall have my revenge."

-----

"I told you we wouldn't find anything, Waspinator," Terrosaur growled. Sun glinted off his metal wingtips as the two of them soared back across the plains towards base. "I swear, sometimes I think there's something wrong with Megatron's logic circuits."

"Waspinator not know," the giant bee said, its metallic mandibles buzzing in tune with its giant wings. "Waspinator only goes where Waspinator is told."

"If it was up to me..." Terrosaur said but he never finished. His scanners had picked up something, at the foot of the cliff near the base. He tightened his scanning range and enlarged his field of vision. Something was buried beneath a pile of rubble at the base of the cliff. Something very large, and very metallic.

Terrosaur transformed and ignited his thruster jets. He came down in a long, sloping arc but he wasn't even halfway to ground before he realized what it was. He landed next to the mountain of dislodged earth and knelt down next to his fallen master.

"Megatron, what happened!" he said, sweeping a large pile of rubble off his broken chest plate. Megatron's faceplate had been shattered almost beyond recognition. His optics were broken and dark, and a thin line of black fluid seeped down between his neck joints. Terrosaur placed a shaky hand on Megatron's chest, feeling his gears thud and rumble as his processors fought to keep him functioning.

"Scorponok...traitor," Megatron wheezed, his voice warbled and disjointed. "Help...me."

"Don't worry. Megatron, we'll get you out." He turned to Waspinator, who was still fluttering inches above the ground. "What are you doing, fool!" he shouted at the annoying insect. "Transform and help me dig!"

Waspinator buzzed and crackled, but he did as he was told. He hefted a large boulder out of the way, one of many around the site, and together; they began the process of excavating their fallen leader.

-----

_Yes, this is it,_ Starscream thought, examining his handiwork. There, recently embedded in the rock, battered and bruised but still fully functional, was the inert body of his former friend and scientific colleague, Skyfire. It was such a bold plan that Starscream wondered why he hadn't thought it up sooner. Ever since that fool Galvatron had disintegrated his body during his coronation ceremony in the Hall of Heroes, he had been nothing more than a disembodied spark, flying through the cold vortexes of space-time. Now, after eons of searching, he finally found something he could use: a body with which he could crush that incompetent excuse of a leader, Megatron, and make himself ruler, not only of the Predacons, but over all Transformers.

-----

"I'm worried, Optimus," Cheetor said. He was pacing back and forth across the control room like a caged tiger. "It's been awhile since Airazor checked in. You don't suppose the Preds have got her?" he asked.

"I don't know, Cheetor, but I'm worried as well," Optimus said.

"Maybe we should go after her," Rattrap said. "You know, just to be sure."

"Perhaps you're right," Optimus said, nodding his massive head. "You and Cheetor follow her trail. You can radio in when you've found something."

"You've got it, big bot," Cheetor said, transforming. "C'mon, Rattrap, let's move!"

"Oh boy, here we go again," Rattrap said. He just had enough time to transform, and then Cheetor snatched him up between his jaws, threw him on his back, and headed out of the base at top speed.

-----

"Oh, my achin' head!"

Scorponok sat up, trying to get his optics back into focus. He didn't know where he was but wherever it was, it wasn't the base. He tried to stand but all he got out of his motor core was a dull whirr. Whatever had happened, it had impaired most of his systems.

"Welcome back, my friend. Glad to see you're awake."

He recognized that voice. It was the voice he'd heard in Tarantulas' lab, right before all his systems had blacked out. He looked around, scanning his surroundings. He was in a cave of some sort, but how he got there was anyone's guess. Piles of debris were scattered around the cavern's floor. Somebody had been digging in this cave, and from the looks of it, it was recent.

"Who-who are you?" Scorponok asked. From somewhere farther in the gloom, he could hear someone chuckle.

"I'm someone who wishes to thank you," the voice said. There was a loud grating sound, like metal scraping against rock, and then Scorponok was looking up into the face of the largest robot he'd ever seen. It's solid blue eyes flashed brightly, and there was a grin on its faceplate that Scorponok didn't quite like.

"Here's your reward," the creature said, raising its gun at Scorponok's head. It was, quite easily, the biggest bore he'd ever seen. The creature uttered a wild, hysterical laugh and suddenly Scorponok's world was filled with a giant, blazing nova.

-----

"By Primus!" Airazor muttered.

She'd followed Scorponok's trail some 800 klicks northwest of the Predacon base. The trail had followed a column of low rising mountains into a valley surrounded by a copse of giant redwoods. Airazor had no idea where Scorponok was headed, until she'd discovered the cave's opening, half concealed at the bottom of the low cut valley. She'd arrived in time to witness the largest robot she'd ever seen come tearing through the cave's opening and out into the valley floor.

"Optimus Primal!" Airazor sent, banking sharply to the left to avoid being crushed by one of the toppling redwoods. "Optimus Primal, this is Airazor. Do you read me?"

A burst of static squealed from her transmitter. Obviously something didn't want her to give away its position. She flipped her scanners to recording mode and activated her video stream. If nothing else, maybe that at least would get back to Maximal headquarters.

The robot looked up at her from its position on the valley floor. It was easily over 80 feet tall, maybe more. Its body covering was ivory white, with crimson highlights across its chest plate. A solid crimson thruster pack sat across its back, situated directly between two long, upswept wings. Both its arms and its legs were covered in matching crimson body armor, and on either side of its massive head were twin banks of four particle beam cannons. In its hands, which were also massive and looked like they could crush a mountain, it carried what appeared to be an armor piercing missile launcher. Airazor had no idea what it was or where it came from but it looked like it was built for war. And Airazor was the only target in its radius.

"Better try and get this back to base," Airazor said. She swooped low over the valley, banking hard to avoid another toppling tree, and struck out towards the base.

"Oh no you don't!" Starscream said, raising his gun at the departing Transformer. He didn't know which side it was on, Maximal or Predacon, but it didn't much matter either way. They would all be so much molten metal at Starscream's feet. The targeting reticle came up on his launcher. Starscream waited until the system glowed red, indicating lock on, and then slowly depressed the trigger. Twin missiles screamed out from the barrel of the launcher, blazing hot trails behind them.

Airazor saw the missiles approach, and tried to avoid them but it was no use. The missiles had apparently locked onto her system. She sent a final burst transmission to base, alerting Primal of what was happening, and then both missiles took her squarely in the back, right above her wing motors, and she plummeted, on fire and spiraling out of control, to the earth below.

-----

The LED's on Megatron's monitor flashed a steady green.

Tarantulas stepped away from the table, watching as the wires attached to Megatron's systems retracted back into their coils. Repairing his damaged systems had been the easy part; reconstructing his crushed head had not. Overall, Megatron had been fairly lucky. Several large chunks of rock had pierced the plating over his chest, and if even one of them had managed to pierce his tritanium spark casing, he would have been off-line. Permanently.

"Everything's clear, Megatron," Tarantulas said. "All systems functioning within normal parameters."

The table lowered and Megatron stepped off. His first order of business was to find that traitor, Scorponok. Once he did that, he would show him what true power really was.

He had just barely stepped out of Tarantulas' lab when the first explosions shook the base. Overhead, the klaxons blared. He couldn't be sure but it appeared he'd been spared the trouble of finding that traitor after all.

-----

Cheetor heard the explosions before he saw them.

They were traveling along the ridgeline that would take them past the Predacon base when the shockwave from the explosions shook the air around them. Cheetor skidded to a halt, almost throwing Rattrap off his back in the process.

"Sounds like trouble at the Predacon base," Cheetor said.

"Ah, who cares," Rattrap said. "Let the Preds sort it out."

"But it might have something to do with Airazor," Cheetor said. "Let's check it out."

The two of them sidled over to the edge of the cliff. There, in the valley below, was the crashed Predcon warship that served Megatron as base of operations. And outside the base, bombarding its shields with blast after blast from its hand held missile launcher, was the biggest, most imposing robot either one of them ever saw.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Cheetor asked, his voice low.

"I am," Rattrap said, his voice equally low. "But I don't believe it."

-----

"Come out, Megatron!" Starscream called, firing barrage after barrage at the Predacon base. "Come out and fight!"

Megatron stopped just inside the bases' entrance. He knew that voice from somewhere, or at least, his circuits did. He had a feeling that no one had heard that particular voice in eons.

"Starscream?" he called, walking down the ramp. He made sure to stay well inside the bases' force field. "Starscream, is that really you?"

Starscream stopped firing, staring down at the tiny excuse for a leader on the edge of the landing ramp. "That name no longer holds any meaning for me. Starscream is dead, killed long ago in a sneak attack by your ancestor. You may call me...Starfire!"

Starfire unleashed a salvo from his head mounted particle cannons against the bases' shields. Energy crackled and sputtered across the field, but still the shields held. Barely. Megatron knew the power output of every system on his ship. One more blast like that, and the base would be defenseless.

He had to come up with a plan, and fast. Megatron activated his internal transmitter, linking with the other Predacons in the base. "Waspinator, Terrosaur. I want you to engage the enemy. Flanking maneuvers only. Your only job is to provide diversionary cover fire." He switched frequencies and located Tarantulas. "Tarantulas, prepare the bases' defenses. I want that pulse cannon locked, loaded and ready to fire on my command." Megatron checked his power supply, found it adequate, and prepared to step through the force field. If Starscream wanted a fight that badly, then by Cybertron he was going to give him one.

-----

"Waspinator, terrorize!"

The Predacon's body morphed in mid-flight, changing from his streamlined bee form to his more massive robot one. Directly across from him, Terrosaur did the same. Both of them dived down on the attacking robot; one from the right side, the other from the left.

"Waspinator will not fail Megatron!" he cried, firing bolt after bolt as he closed in. "Waspinator will attack!"

He circled around the left of Starfire, watching the bolts from his laser cannon bounce harmlessly off the larger robot's armored hide. _Closer, _he thought, swinging back for another pass. _Waspinator needs to get in closer._

Starfire watched the bee and smiled. He tucked his head and turned, hoping to lure Waspinator in. He did. Waspinator drew in closer, firing an endless barrage from his cannon. He let the Predacon get within a few feet of him, and then he spun around, drawing out his missile launcher in one fluid motion and firing at point blank range. The poor bastard never knew what hit him. The launcher exploded with a loud roar, tearing through the air at its opponent, and the only thing left in the spot Waspinator once occupied was a growing cloud of exhausted energy.

-----

_You fool,_ Megatron thought, watching Waspinator's shattered head roll across the ground a few feet in front of him. _I told them NOT to attack!_

Terrosaur, at least, was following his orders. Or at least trying to. Starfire had already clipped him twice, and both his right leg and the left side of his chest plate was a sparking mess. If he didn't do something, and fast, Terrosaur was a goner. The loss of Waspinator was no big deal, but he couldn't afford to also lose the only good flyer he had left.

"Tarantulas, activate west auto-guns and lock on," Megatron sent. Already he could see the four turrets on the western perimeter spring from their bases in the ground and swivel towards Starfire. "Now the east," he ordered and four more sprung out on the eastern perimeter. Now, the only thing Megatron needed was a clear shot.

Starfire launched another salvo from his head mounted particle cannons at Terrosaur. The Predacon had been lucky, avoiding most of Starfire's shots, but apparently his luck had just run out. Two of the blasts missed, but in swerving to avoid them, he ran directly into the other two. Both blasts took him in the face, almost shearing off his cranial cap. A loud squawk issued from his system as sparks erupted from his optic sensors, and then he plummeted, headfirst, into the stony ground.

Megatron saw his opportunity and seized it. "Now, Tarantulas, fire, while he's still preoccupied!" All eight turrets erupted in a cacophony of sound, and Starfire staggered back as blast after blast strafed across his chest plate. One of the blasts got lucky, and managed to find its way between his arm casings and into his elbow joint. Starfire howled in pair and anger as the joint froze from impact, and his gun clattered from his now useless fingers. Megatron saw his second opportunity open up before him, and his optics flashed. "Tarantulas, the pulse cannon. Now!"

A panel slid open on the roof of the base, and a cannon the size of Starfire's launcher slid out, swiveling around to target the bigger robot. The cannon hummed for approximately three seconds, as its systems powered up, and then a large blast of energy discharged from its central bore, cutting through the air and taking Starfire squarely in the chest. Starfire stumbled back, his body apparently absorbing the blow, but Megatron saw otherwise. A micro-fracture spiraled across Starfire's chest plate. Too small to be noticed, but Megatron did, just the same. He made a few quick mental calculations and sent the new data to Tarantulas in the control room.

"Tarantulas, target these coordinates on Starfire's armor and fire. Full spread!"

All eight turrets and the pulse cannon swiveled, locking on to their new coordinates. A full barrage of turret fire and cannon energy converged on Starfire's chest armor, and this time it did take him off his feet. He flew through the air, screaming in pain, the micro-fracture on his armor splitting open, revealing a mass of dark circuitry and sparking wires. He crashed heavily against the side of the cliff face, splintering the solid rock and almost knocking Cheetor and Rattrap from their hiding place.

"Surrender, Starfire!" Megatron yelled. The guns had ceased, and now silence reined in the open valley. "You'll never beat me!"

Starfire staggered to his feet. He looked down at the sparking mess that was his chest, and then at Megatron. His former leader was partially right. He couldn't beat Megatron now, not in this condition. He was exposed; he had a weakness, and Megatron would exploit it. He needed time for repairs, to recharge his systems. Besides, the damage had already been done. He'd reduced Megatron's force by over half. When he came back, repaired and fully recharged, he would finish the job.

"This isn't over, Megatron!" he screamed, igniting his thruster pack. "Not by a long shot!" He transformed in mid-flight, reconfiguring his body into his massive jet form, his engines roaring in the open sky. He would leave, but not without giving Megatron a parting gift. He swung low over the Predacon base, unleashing a full barrage from his particle cannons. The first spread took out the bases' gun turrets. The second salvo crashed into the pulse cannon, exploding the surface around it in a fiery cataclysm and shearing it clean off the Predacon's roof. Starfire watched as explosions rippled across the surface of the base and then he swung north, laughing hysterically, speeding away towards the horizon and out of sight.

Megatron threw himself on the ground as Starfire sped away. It had been a victory for the Predacons but at what cost? Waspinator and Terrosaur were both slagged, Scorponok was somewhere on the planet, probably deactivated and his base was crippled and defenseless. Megatron stood up, watching his turrets sputter and spark across the ground. It was over for him. If Starfire came back to finish the job, there wasn't much that Megatron could do about it.

A skittering from behind drew his attention. Megatron turned, scanning the ridgeline. He caught a flash of yellow and brown along the cliff edge, and then it was gone. It was only a brief glimpse, but he'd bet his last two cubes of Energon he knew who it was.

"Maximals," he muttered under his breath. How dare they spy on him like that? How dare they interfere-

Something clicked inside his head. Yes, it just might work. He activated his transmitter and turned back to base.

"Tarantulas, are you there?" he called. Static filled the air, and for a moment he thought he'd lost Tarantulas as well. Then the static cleared and a voice filled his head.

"Of course, Megatron," Tarantulas answered.

"See if you can repair the base before Starfire returns," he ordered. "I'm leaving you in charge while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" Tarantulas asked. He hated to leave the duplicitous spider in charge of his base, but at the moment he had no other choice.

"To the Maximal base," he said transforming into his beast mode. "I have an offer for Optimus Primal, yesss!"

-----

"Starscream has been dead for eons," Dinobot growled. "You are obviously mistaken."

"Hey listen pal, I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it with my own optics," Rattrap said, pointing a finger at Dinobot. "He's back, all right. Just as mean and twice as ugly! Only he isn't calling himself Starscream anymore. Now he's going by the name Starfire!""

"You claim he has a new body," Primal said. "Describe it to me."

"He's huge, Optimus!" Cheetor said. "He's covered in all this red body armor. And he transformed into this giant flying...machine!"

"A machine, you say," Optimus asked. "Not a beast form?"

"No, it was a machine all right," Cheetor shook his head. "Like the kind they used to show on the Holo-Vids back on Cybertron. Why, what does it mean?"

Primal shook his head. "I'm not sure. It sounds familiar, like something I read in one of the old Cybertronian archives." He looked like he was about to say more, but a warning siren from Sentinel cut him short.

"Warning. Intruder alert. Predacon signature detected."

Rhinox tapped the controls that activated the perimeter cameras. A familiar image flashed on the screen, and both Rattrap and Cheetor let out a low whistle.

"I don't believe it," Rattrap said. "Talk about nerve."

'Yeah but what does he want?" Cheetor asked. "He's a little outnumbered to launch an attack."

A moment later their question was answered as Megatron's image looked directly into the camera's lens. "Optimus. Optimus Primal. I came here to discuss terms...for a truce."

"Oh I don't know Optimus," Rattrap said, clicking his teeth together. "Take it from a rat, something here smells a little fishy."

"I don't like it, Optimus," Rhinox growled.

"Neither do I," Optimus agreed. "But he hardly has the means to attack us."

"I know you can hear me, Optimus," Megatron said. "I have information you can't afford to miss. If you don't want this war to end in catastrophe, for everyone involved, you'll come out and here what I have to say. Alone."

Optimus stared at the image on the screen. After a moment he turned from the view screen and stalked across the control chamber.

"Optimus," Rhinox said, turning in his chair. "Where are you going?"

Optimus turned and shrugged. "Where else? I'm going outside to see Megatron."

-----

"Let me guess, Megatron," Optimus said, stepping off the ramp and walking over him. "You have a problem too big for you to handle and you need our help in solving it."

Megatron mouth turned down in a sneer. "How annoyingly astute of you, Primal. But you're only half-right. The problem's as much yours as it is mine."

"Starscream's after you. Megatron. You're the one he has a vendetta against."

Megatron grinned. "Is that so? And just where do you think he'll go after his finished with the Predacons, hmmm? Do you think he'll saunter quietly back out into space? No, I think not. He'll destroy the Maximals next."

Primal crossed his arms. "Then we'll deal with the situation when it arises. For now, Megatron, this is your problem."

Optimus turned to leave when Megatron chuckled from behind him. "You really don't know, do you?" he asked. Optimus turned and Megatron laughed. "The mighty Optimus Primal has no idea what's really at stake."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Megatron chuckled, and then raised his arm cannon and fired at shot at the perimeter camera, disabling it. He turned and faced Optimus. "This is for your ears only, Primal."

Optimus stalked up to Megatron, both fists raised. "If you've got something to say, Megatron, I suggest you say it!"

"Do you know why I stole the Golden Disk?" Megatron asked, pointing a finger at Primal's' chest.

"Because it revealed the location of a planet rich with Energon," Optimus shot back.

"Fool! Do you think I would risk an all-out for that? No. Any planet rich with Energon would have aided the Predacon cause, but it was the location of this planet in particular that the Maximal Elders fought to keep hidden. Earth."

"What are you saying?" Primal asked.

"Are all Maximals' programming that dense? We're on Earth, of the past. Four million years, give or take a century. And if we're here, then that means..."

Primal's optics flashed as his logic circuits kicked in. "That means that the Ark is somewhere here as well."

Megatron chuckled. "Very good, Optimus. It's true that monkey's can be taught. Yes, that's precisely what it means."

Primal stared at Megatron, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "You're lying! This planet looks nothing like what the Cybertronian archives purport Earth to be. They never mentioned anything about Energon deposits this large, or the earth having two moons!"

For a second, doubts flashed in Megatron's optics. "A minor technicality. Besides, are you willing to risk the fate of both sides, and all of Cybertron's history, on that?"

Primal shook his head, and tried one last time. "Even if the Predacons wanted to go to Earth, they couldn't. That sector's been classified for centuries. Even the coordinates have been erased from the Archives. They wouldn't know where it was!"

"But the Golden Disk does!" Megatron said, shouting at Primal. "Ahhh! Are you willing to let history be re-written because you're too blind and stupid to see the truth! I thought you were smarter than that, Optimus Primal!"

Primal was silent for a moment. "And what's in it for you if I agree to help?" he asked.

Megatron sneered. "Nothing much, really. Just...a favor. To be redeemed at the time and place of my choosing. As the ancient Earthlings you're so found of used to say, 'You'll owe me one'."

Optimus glared at Megatron, watching the grin spread across his smug features. Finally he sighed and his shoulders slumped in resignation. "Fine, Megatron, you win. We'll help. But I have a stipulation of my own."

-----

"I can't believe you actually agreed to help that overgrown scale belly!" Rattrap said.

"For once, I agree with the rat," Dinobot growled. "You should have let Starscream destroy Megatron!"

"There are bigger issues than us at stake, Dinobot," Optimus said. "Believe me, it pains me to help Megatron just as it does you. But we have no choice."

"What are these issues you speak of?" Dinobot growled.

"I can't tell you," Optimus said. "They could dangerously upset the balance of power. For now, you'll just have to trust me."

Optimus turned and faced Rhinox. "Is the Energon cannon ready?" he asked.

Rhinox shrugged. "As ready as it's going to get," he said.

"Then let's roll. I want to get this thing over to the Predacon base before Starscream shows up."

-----

Starfire sat on a rock in the cave, making a few final adjustments to his power relays. He made a few final adjustments to his circuits, and then retracted his laser torch and closed his chest module. The elbow joint was still a little stiff but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He didn't have the parts on this primitive planet to replace the joint.

Still he couldn't complain. It was a good body, better than his original. He had managed to take down three quarters of Megatron's force in one fell swoop, and now it was time to finish the job. Starscream stood up, checking his power cells one last time. First Megatron, then the Maximals. After that he could take care of the ancient Autobots and Decepticons imprisoned in the Ark, and install himself as leader of the new Cybertronian Order.

-----

Megatron was waiting for him outside when he arrived.

"So, Megatron, have you finally accepted your fate?" Starfire asked, touching down outside the Predacon base. He wasn't surprised to find Megatron smiling.

"The only thing I've accepted is that you are a fool, Starfire. You should have finished me when you had the chance."

"One mistake, Megatron," Starfire said, leveling his particle cannons at Megatron, "that I shall soon rectify!"

Megatron chuckled. "In war, one mistake is all you get. Predacons, attack!"

"What!" Starfire shouted, turning around to scan the valley walls. Megatron had to be bluffing. He couldn't have repaired all his warriors that fast. He turned back and saw Megatron standing there, still chuckling. "Is this some kind of joke, Predacon scum?" he snarled.

"No joke, Starscream," a second voice answered, one that was decidedly not Megatron's. "And we're not Predacons."

"Maximals!" Starfire snarled but it was too little, too late. Somehow, just like he'd always done in the past, Megatron had attained the impossible. He had forged a truce with Optimus Primal.

"We can't let you get away with this," Primal said, from his hiding place atop the Predacon base. "There's too much at stake. Maximals, attack!"

Three warriors sprang from their hiding places around the perimeter of the valley. Starfire spun, cursing. He had allowed himself to be caught in a crossfire.

"Ironic, isn't it," Megatron said, "that your treachery is enough to unite factions. Too bad you won't be on-line long enough to appreciate it!" Megatron's optics flashed and a burst of energy sprang from his hand, catching Starscream across his chest plate.

"Maximals, engage!" Primal ordered. "But only keep him from escaping. We have to make sure he stays intact!"

Cheetor and Rattrap transformed behind Starscream, their weapons held at the ready. "Whatever you say, big bot! We've got him covered."

Dinobot growled, but remained silent. He knew better than to voice his opinion against Primal at this stage of the game.

"Foolish cretins!" Starscream shouted. "This shall accomplish nothing!" He targeted Megatron, his particle cannons cutting a swath through the ground at his feet. Megatron jumped back, returning fire with an energy salvo of his own.

"Rhinox," Primal transmitted to his friend inside the base. "How much longer until that cannon's ready to fire."

"Another thirty seconds, Optimus," Rhinox answered back. "It wasn't easy integrating it into the Preds' programming."

Optimus frowned. It looked like he was going to have to join the fray after all.

All three Maximals converged their weaponry on Starfire. Energy blasts bounced off his plate casing, but they were low-yield, and only served to annoy the bigger robot. If that's the way they wanted to play the game, then fine. It was time for Starfire to change the rules.

He ignited his thruster pack, taking to the air. Primal saw him lift-off and cursed. If Starfire took to the air, it was all over for them. His plan was contingent on keeping Starfire grounded. Fortunately for them, Rattrap was a dead-on shot.

"Oh no you don't," he said, raising his gun and aiming at the center of Starfire's thruster pack. "On the ground is where the boss monkey wants ya, and on the ground is where you'll stay!" He fired off three shots. All three connected with the power supply on his pack. There was an explosion of sparks as his pack shorted out, and then a loud crash as Starfire slammed back into the valley floor.

"Optimus, it's ready," Rhinox called.

"Then target Starfire and fire!" Primal ordered.

The Energon cannon swiveled from its place on top of the Predacon base. Its barrel locked onto its target, and a beam of pure Energon shot forth, heating the air around it and striking Starfire dead center.

Starfire howled as an overload of Energon coursed through his system. He tried to move but his arms and legs were sluggish. There was a brief surge as more Energon shorted out his optics, and then he was stumbling, blind and almost immobile, on the valley floor.

"What's...what's happening?" he stuttered as his system tried to compensate.

"Warning: Energon overload. Stasis lock imminent."

"What have you done to me?" Starfire raged. Energon flooded his system, shorting out circuit after circuit. His power system's fluttered, and a warning siren went out one last time.

"Warning: Energon overload. Stasis lock complete."

"No!" Starfire howled, but it was futile. A final surge of Energon overloaded his control center, and then Starfire fell, face first, as every system in his body went off-line.

"Well done, Primal," Megatron said, walking over to the fallen robot. "And I didn't think you had it in you."

Optimus jumped down from the base and walked over. "Cheetor, Rattrap, Dinobot. You three get Starfire on the hover sled. We're taking him back to base."

"That wasn't part of the deal, Optimus," Megatron growled.

Optimus turned, both rocket launchers aimed directly at Megatron. "I'm changing the deal. You're hardly in a position to argue, Megatron."

Megatron snarled, but backed off. "Don't forget our deal, Primal. You're in my debt now. And I intend to collect, yes!"

Optimus was about to argue when Rhinox came running out from the Predacon base. "Everyone, get back! It's gonna blow!"

"What is?" Primal asked, but he thought he already knew.

"The Energon cannon! I told you the Matrix was unstable. That single blast created a feedback loop that could take out the entire valley!"

"What!" Megatron snarled.

Cheetor, Rattrap and Dinobot had already managed to get Starfire on the sled and up over the valley walls. Optimus smiled, grabbing Rhinox under the arms and igniting his Prime jets.

"Good luck, Megatron," he said, lifting his friend off the valley floor and over the wall. "It was nice working with you."

"NOOOOO!'' Megatron howled, but his howls were soon eclipsed by the sound of explosions ripping apart the Predacon base.

-----

"There," Optimus said, pointing to an iceberg the size of a mountain. "That one should do nicely."

Optimus and Rhinox were in the Arctic, in the middle of a gigantic ice field. They wanted a place to bury Skyfire's body away from the Predacons, and this seemed as good a place as any. Besides, Megatron would be too busy cleaning up his mess at home to worry about starting any searches.

"So, do you think the explosion destroyed the Predacon base?" Primal asked. Rhinox had set up his laser torch and was already cutting a swath through the ice.

"Nah, it was a low-level explosion. Just enough to destroy the cannon." He shook his head, shutting off the torch and activating the controls on the sled. "A pity though. We could have ended the Beast Wars right there."  
"I know," Primal said, watching the sled dump Skyfire's inert body into the hole Rhinox just created. They had taken Skyfire back to base and had made sure to delete all memory of recent events from his data modules. Now, to him at least, it'll be like they never happened. They moved the sled and the torch away, and then Primal activated his shoulder launchers and targeted the iceberg.

"Do you think it's true," Rhinox interrupted. "What Megatron said about this planet being Earth?"

"I don't know Rhinox," Optimus answered, activating the launchers and sending the missiles screaming at their target. "But I have a feeling we're destined to find out."

The explosion shattered the iceberg, bringing the ice and snow down and burying Skyfires' body completely. Optimus holstered his launchers and examined the site.

"Activate the sensor ring," he nodded, satisfied that Skyfires' body was buried deep enough. "I want to be warned if this site's ever disturbed."

Rhinox nodded and as he worked Optimus watched the lights play out across the night sky, wishing the Beast Wars were over and wondering about the favor that one day he would have to give to his enemy.

-----

The spark ascended from the blue-white orb. It found the nearest vortex of space-time and slipped through. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come back to this point in its destiny. Maybe it should have gone, further along the line to what sentients called the future. Perhaps there it would find, or did find, or would find again something it could use. Whatever the case it needed time to rest, to regain its energy before continuing on. Then one day the immortal spark that was once called Starscream, and briefly called Starfire, would return to reclaim what was rightfully its own: its destiny.


End file.
